D2 District Championship Waverly vs Jackson…. updates

[smurray]

Waverly with a hard fought win (physical battle) over Warren and Jackson took care of Logan Elm.
Who you got and why?

[Sportsfanallnitelong]

Waverly wins by 25+
Why? Because they are the #1seed and Jackson is the #12seed for a reason. When the coaches made out the brackets, this is about the only thing they got right, a 25 point whopping in a district final game. Good luck to both teams the rest of the way

[E High]

Seedings mean nothing at this point. Is waverly better. Absolutely. But teams in the district finals are playing their best basketball of the year.

[greygoose]

Waverly wins by 25+
Why? Because they are the #1seed and Jackson is the #12seed for a reason. When the coaches made out the brackets, this is about the only thing they got right, a 25 point whopping in a district final game. Good luck to both teams the rest of the way

Jackson's seeding is no where indicative of how the 2022 season played out for these guys. As they were saying on SOSA during the broadcast yes on paper #12 beating a #4 is an upset but with the schedule Jackson played and some of the earlier injuries that forced others to step up this isn't a typical #12 seed.

[greygoose]

I got to watch both games, Waverly exposed Warren for their inability to shoot outside and lack of guard play as they forced a bunch of turnovers. Jackson with just a get down gritty performance against LE and really pulled away in the 2nd half, If Bragg was at full strength this game might be different, but Waverly's pace is going to limit his minutes as you can see he gets winded quickly. However I think with Waverly's pressure and Jackson has some guys who seem a bit uncomfortable with the ball in their hand I look for Waverly to cause quite a few turnovers in this one. Campbell is young and he's right hand dominate that's not going to work going 1-1 with Stulley full court. I'll go with Waverly by 12, 51-39.

[WHS2000grad]

If you have lived in Jackson or Waverly for five minutes you know this game is going to be a battle. I don't care what the records are, I dn't care what the seeds are, I don't care what the schedules look like. This is Waverly vs. Jackson, a good old SEOAL match up.
Waverly's pressure is nothing short of intense and if they are knocking down shots they will be a tough out for anyone. IDK much about Jackson, but they seemed to explode in the 4th quarter against LE, so this one could be fun!

[Closeouts23]

Look for Jackson to slow this game down. If Jackson can keep the score in the mid to high 40’s they have a shot.

[Ironman92]

Long post with a lot of stuff and past history.

First off….the upset Warren fan that said Jackson earned the #12 seed, correct….we are not that team though, might still lose by 25 but we are nicely better than a 12 seed right now.

This is Waverly’s year….every scratch and ounce of pressure is on them. Things happen in these games. Injuries, sickness, foul trouble….all can be MAJOR factors. Every player on the court is susceptible to a bad ankle injury. Jackson was without Miller until a few games left in the regular season….had a bad knee injury. His 2nd game back we lose our top scorer, ball handler and tremendous defender Tristan Prater to a foot injury….he’s unfortunately out, a huge loss and this is they type of game you need your ball handlers and athletes. Prater was both. Evan Spires football injury, out all season and our top returning ball handler from last year. Drew Bragg….kid is a warrior. He’s not out of shape, he’s got an unfortunate disease where his organs aren’t formed correctly or doing their job like our’s do. He didn’t play all season but when Prater went down he wanted to give it a try. He might be able to go 15 minutes but the kid is all guts and honestly it’s scary to watch and has been over the years. He’s a 1st team all-district player and everyone knows it, but his body won’t let him go very long….but when he’s in there he’s going at it, diving on the floor and being a leader on the court. That’s a hell of a lot for a team sitting in the district finals.

Miller 31
Prater 27
Winters 25
Campbell 20
Jarvis 17
Blankenship 17
Bragg 13 (in 2 qtrs)
Woodard 10

Can’t focus on any one player….all have proven completely capable throughout the season, can they throw their best game together? They’ll give it a go.

Keys:

Both teams….avoid significant foul trouble and probably not any room for any lazy or silly or frustration fouls.

Jackson….take care of ball. Do whatever the hell it takes to get the ball across half court and into the offense. Use Miller or Winters if the matchup calls for it. I’d bring in Caleb Wallis and have him hound the guards and getting them ready.

Win the turnover battle and rebounding battle.

Make them finish! Be ready for charge opportunities.

Do not let Wade Futhey get open looks on the perimeter! Similar to Ethan Parry when he gets open looks against us.

Blankenship/Jarvis/Woodard need to be ready for the big shots….might not get many but they’ll be big, sink em. Campbell might be a perimeter wild card for us.

Composure. Keep it, from tip till final buzzer….no excuses. You wanna win, be the more composed team.

Do what you too, play hard as hell.

Waverly….basically just play well. They are the clear favorites. Robertson 23 from 2000? Can’t let that be a focal point but Trey has been so unselfish throughout his career.

Both teams have coaches and staffs that are GREAT at having their teams prepped. Both squads won’t be surprised by much of anything regular.

History? These two senior groups….they’ve met. Crazy though they really haven’t faced each other as a group since 6th grade. Never played in junior high and our matchups with Waverly in recent history was basically just Trey a main varsity player. Waverly still has their main group minus Marquez who will give the state track meet a run in the hurdles….knowing the defense his older brother played…could be a nice add. Trey and Stulley have ALWAYS been the backcourt and in 3rd-5th grade they were unstoppable and if they had a lead to start the 4th…..nothing could be done. They’ve always been insanely conditioned and able athletes. I think they both would dominate XC and be soccer stars, Robertson could do anything. My first meeting with him was the first pitch of a coach pitch travel tournament and this 6 year old looking kid made a full extension dive in the hole as a pitcher to rob us. I was like “holy sh**, what was that?”….then he played a couple tournaments with us in 3rd grade and in a 4th grade tourney at Rio he hit 6 3’s in the first half lol….he was more of a coach on the floor than we were on the sideline and he was 9. Futhey and Futhey….Will has always been a beast. Kid was big with muscle tone in 5th grade. Wade though in junior high developed a nice shot and he’s a weapon on the perimeter and a solid defender.

In 3rd through 5th grade we never beat them or were real close, but we had 2 travel teams and in 6th grade added Blankenship and Tristan Prater….mixed with Bragg, Miller, Woodard….with my son back then and a couple others we had the length and size and we knocked them off 3x that season in 2 nail biting games and our final win by 7 if I recall. Bragg and Miller grabbed every rebound and we had the quick athletes to contest the perimeter….those days were wild. Now multiply it by 10 and watch the seniors go at it…both teams have big underclassmen that have gotten it done, but this game is on the seniors for each squad.

Should be a lot of fun. Hoping for a great great game.

[Kicker.]

Waverly can and should be able too get the victory here jackson cannot turn it over like Warren did or it will be a long night

[bman]

Waverly by 15-20 points. Waverly is clearly the best SE District team in Division II this season. Jackson is much better than its record and seed indicate, but Waverly won't struggle scoring like Fairfield Union and Logan Elm, and Jackson won't have the rebounding advantage that it did against LE's smaller lineup. Waverly's defense should generate some turnovers and transition points. Jackson should just let it roll and see what happens. If they finish as district runner-up, that's a well-deserved honor.

[Vik]

An awful match up for Jackson. Waverly has the best player and best backcourt in southern ohio and Jackson, well getting across half court might be a 50/50 thing. Fortunate match ups for Jackson so far but now it’s the worst match up.

Ugly early and throughout. Waverly 63-39

[Ironmen98]

An awful match up for Jackson. Waverly has the best player and best backcourt in southern ohio and Jackson, well getting across half court might be a 50/50 thing. Fortunate match ups for Jackson so far but now it’s the worst match up.

Ugly early and throughout. Waverly 63-39

Ol Vik and his Ironmen envy.

Appreciate the hate !

[Vik]

An awful match up for Jackson. Waverly has the best player and best backcourt in southern ohio and Jackson, well getting across half court might be a 50/50 thing. Fortunate match ups for Jackson so far but now it’s the worst match up.

Ugly early and throughout. Waverly 63-39

Ol Vik and his Ironmen envy.

Appreciate the hate !

Nothing I said is wrong knocking out Jackson at home last year was enjoyable.

[Ironmen98]

An awful match up for Jackson. Waverly has the best player and best backcourt in southern ohio and Jackson, well getting across half court might be a 50/50 thing. Fortunate match ups for Jackson so far but now it’s the worst match up.

Ugly early and throughout. Waverly 63-39

Ol Vik and his Ironmen envy.

Appreciate the hate !

Nothing I said is wrong knocking out Jackson at home last year was enjoyable.

No doubt , defeating Jackson in anything is a huge accomplishment for gallia academy

[Ironman92]

Ol Vik and his Ironmen envy.

Appreciate the hate !

Nothing I said is wrong knocking out Jackson at home last year was enjoyable.

No doubt , defeating Jackson in anything is a huge accomplishment for gallia academy

Lol

[VetteMan]

Long post with a lot of stuff and past history.

First off….the upset Warren fan that said Jackson earned the #12 seed, correct….we are not that team though, might still lose by 25 but we are nicely better than a 12 seed right now.

This is Waverly’s year….every scratch and ounce of pressure is on them. Things happen in these games. Injuries, sickness, foul trouble….all can be MAJOR factors. Every player on the court is susceptible to a bad ankle injury. Jackson was without Miller until a few games left in the regular season….had a bad knee injury. His 2nd game back we lose our top scorer, ball handler and tremendous defender Tristan Prater to a foot injury….he’s unfortunately out, a huge loss and this is they type of game you need your ball handlers and athletes. Prater was both. Evan Spires football injury, out all season and our top returning ball handler from last year. Drew Bragg….kid is a warrior. He’s not out of shape, he’s got an unfortunate disease where his organs aren’t formed correctly or doing their job like our’s do. He didn’t play all season but when Prater went down he wanted to give it a try. He might be able to go 15 minutes but the kid is all guts and honestly it’s scary to watch and has been over the years. He’s a 1st team all-district player and everyone knows it, but his body won’t let him go very long….but when he’s in there he’s going at it, diving on the floor and being a leader on the court. That’s a hell of a lot for a team sitting in the district finals.

Miller 31
Prater 27
Winters 25
Campbell 20
Jarvis 17
Blankenship 17
Bragg 13 (in 2 qtrs)
Woodard 10

Can’t focus on any one player….all have proven completely capable throughout the season, can they throw their best game together? They’ll give it a go.

Keys:

Both teams….avoid significant foul trouble and probably not any room for any lazy or silly or frustration fouls.

Jackson….take care of ball. Do whatever the hell it takes to get the ball across half court and into the offense. Use Miller or Winters if the matchup calls for it. I’d bring in Caleb Wallis and have him hound the guards and getting them ready.

Win the turnover battle and rebounding battle.

Make them finish! Be ready for charge opportunities.

Do not let Wade Futhey get open looks on the perimeter! Similar to Ethan Parry when he gets open looks against us.

Blankenship/Jarvis/Woodard need to be ready for the big shots….might not get many but they’ll be big, sink em. Campbell might be a perimeter wild card for us.

Composure. Keep it, from tip till final buzzer….no excuses. You wanna win, be the more composed team.

Do what you too, play hard as hell.

Waverly….basically just play well. They are the clear favorites. Robertson 23 from 2000? Can’t let that be a focal point but Trey has been so unselfish throughout his career.

Both teams have coaches and staffs that are GREAT at having their teams prepped. Both squads won’t be surprised by much of anything regular.

History? These two senior groups….they’ve met. Crazy though they really haven’t faced each other as a group since 6th grade. Never played in junior high and our matchups with Waverly in recent history was basically just Trey a main varsity player. Waverly still has their main group minus Marquez who will give the state track meet a run in the hurdles….knowing the defense his older brother played…could be a nice add. Trey and Stulley have ALWAYS been the backcourt and in 3rd-5th grade they were unstoppable and if they had a lead to start the 4th…..nothing could be done. They’ve always been insanely conditioned and able athletes. I think they both would dominate XC and be soccer stars, Robertson could do anything. My first meeting with him was the first pitch of a coach pitch travel tournament and this 6 year old looking kid made a full extension dive in the hole as a pitcher to rob us. I was like “holy sh**, what was that?”….then he played a couple tournaments with us in 3rd grade and in a 4th grade tourney at Rio he hit 6 3’s in the first half lol….he was more of a coach on the floor than we were on the sideline and he was 9. Futhey and Futhey….Will has always been a beast. Kid was big with muscle tone in 5th grade. Wade though in junior high developed a nice shot and he’s a weapon on the perimeter and a solid defender.

In 3rd through 5th grade we never beat them or were real close, but we had 2 travel teams and in 6th grade added Blankenship and Tristan Prater….mixed with Bragg, Miller, Woodard….with my son back then and a couple others we had the length and size and we knocked them off 3x that season in 2 nail biting games and our final win by 7 if I recall. Bragg and Miller grabbed every rebound and we had the quick athletes to contest the perimeter….those days were wild. Now multiply it by 10 and watch the seniors go at it…both teams have big underclassmen that have gotten it done, but this game is on the seniors for each squad.

Should be a lot of fun. Hoping for a great great game.

Thanks for the Info. on Drew Bragg. I knew that he had not been able to play throughout the season, but I didn't know the reason why.

[TheIronBoy]

Face guard Robertson full court the entire game. Rotate Woodard, Miller, and Campbell on him. Play Waverly 4 on 4 and you have a chance to win the ball game. People forget that Waverly bleeds the same, puts there pants on the same, and they are not robots. Jackson is playing its best all season and you are crazy to think they are gonna lay down and let some arrogant coach run all over them. Jackson wins in OT in a low scoring affair.

[smurray]

Face guard Robertson full court the entire game. Rotate Woodard, Miller, and Campbell on him. Play Waverly 4 on 4 and you have a chance to win the ball game. People forget that Waverly bleeds the same, puts there pants on the same, and they are not robots. Jackson is playing its best all season and you are crazy to think they are gonna lay down and let some arrogant coach run all over them. Jackson wins in OT in a low scoring affair.

arrogant coach? WOW!

[Ironman92]

Face guard Robertson full court the entire game. Rotate Woodard, Miller, and Campbell on him. Play Waverly 4 on 4 and you have a chance to win the ball game. People forget that Waverly bleeds the same, puts there pants on the same, and they are not robots. Jackson is playing its best all season and you are crazy to think they are gonna lay down and let some arrogant coach run all over them. Jackson wins in OT in a low scoring affair.

That’s the attitude to have for sure….face guarding isn’t as easy as it seems I’m sure. Trey has had teams doing that for almost 10 years and hard to say how many times. I’m going to say he has way more experience in playing against face guarding or box and 1’s than teams have experience in incorporating those defenses. The kid is 23? points from 2000, he’s going to score. A bad game and he’ll go for 17.

I’m not in any way saying that your recommendation isn’t the best way to go….just saying I think it’s harder than it sounds and he’ll have more experience dealing with it than we’ll have applying it. Woodard was excellent in the 2nd half on Holbert….and when Holbert switched off it was handled well too. I definitely would like Woodard on him a lot with Miller waiting when he penetrates, but then the backside has to be focused to not give up underneath or kick out to his brother or Wade Futhey for open 3’s.

Morrow and staff will have some different things to try I’m sure. It will be fun.

[Ed Ott]

I don’t see this one being close. Jackson has had a nice run and good to see them improving but Waverly too much

Waverly 71-50